Kara is the Mass in Motion Coordinator for the City of Melrose & Town of Wakefield

It’s 6am on a rainy Tuesday. My 3 year old and 1 year old are up and ready for the day. Stretch and then it’s to the table to sit down and eat together for 10 minutes. Breakfast is a mix of whole grain cereals with 1% milk—protein, fiber and variety (I don’t fall for fads or trends—too confusing and too much to keep up with!). I have blueberries in the fruit drawer—those are passed around the table. Let’s get dressed. Pack up lunches. I have meals in individual containers I prepped on Sunday so we can grab them, put them in lunch packs along with a lowfat greek yogurt and fruit. Homemade grab n go is thrifty and healthy for this momma. TastyANDveggie-packed meals—obvious like flecks of swiss chard in a frittata and incognito like in pasta (Piccolini has fun shapes made from carrots/squash)! (Love the Rachael Ray magazine Weekly Meal Planner—shop on Sunday, have meals for the whole week!!)

Fill water bottles and I grab a spoonful of natural peanut butter as we head out the door. We run through the yard to the car and we are off to daycare and work. It’s 7:30am. Sitting in traffic, we sing and dance in our seats. I even squeeze in some ab and butt crunches. Might as well! Tick tock…day is done. Mad rush is on. End the work day, pick up the kids and head home for dinner. It’s 5:30pm. Mediterrean tuna salad (with homemade multigrain croutons) is whipped up in 15 minutes. Sit down together—relax, catch up and enjoy. My 3 year old picks out what fruit he wants for dessert. Now baths for the boys—they splash and yell to get their energy out. I do squats while they play. Nighty night.

Is this the healthiest day ever? No. Is it on the right track? Yes. There is no one way to be “healthy” but how about we each make one positive change each day and learn from each other. The little things DO matter. Please share your story.

Recent Posts

By Julia Boland & Terri Mendoza Summer’s finally here, and the temperatures steadily rising, it is important to stay hydrated while soaking up the sun’s rays. Water makes up about 60% of your body weight, so whether you’re riding a bike, playing sports, or …Continue Reading Water, Water, Everywhere!

Summertime… It’s time for fun in the sun, especially after such a brutal winter! But in addition to fun, summer often brings intense heat waves. According to the CDC, on average, extreme heat causes more U.S. deaths than other natural disasters. Heat safety is clearly …Continue Reading The Heat is On – But Heat Illness is Preventable!

Now that we’ve all finally recovered from the historic last winter, we can fully embrace the summer season and all that it has to offer – think farmers’ markets! We now have the option of enjoying time outdoors and checking out all the local produce …Continue Reading Melon Mania

Recent Posts

By Julia Boland & Terri Mendoza Summer’s finally here, and the temperatures steadily rising, it is important to stay hydrated while soaking up the sun’s rays. Water makes up about 60% of your body weight, so whether you’re riding a bike, playing sports, or …Continue Reading Water, Water, Everywhere!

Summertime… It’s time for fun in the sun, especially after such a brutal winter! But in addition to fun, summer often brings intense heat waves. According to the CDC, on average, extreme heat causes more U.S. deaths than other natural disasters. Heat safety is clearly …Continue Reading The Heat is On – But Heat Illness is Preventable!

Now that we’ve all finally recovered from the historic last winter, we can fully embrace the summer season and all that it has to offer – think farmers’ markets! We now have the option of enjoying time outdoors and checking out all the local produce …Continue Reading Melon Mania